Five Weeks After Their Sexy New York City Date, the Stars Reunite in Los Angeles. Says a Source: 'She's Excited to See Him Again Soon'

Last month, after Jennifer Lopez and Bradley Cooper had dinner at New York City's Per Se, many wondered, "Is this going anywhere?" The answer, it seems, is yes-and on the morning of Oct. 15 they were spotted driving near the actor's Pacific Palisades neighborhood to Lopez's gated community, about 20 miles away. "They were smiling and seemed to have a fun conversation," says a witness who saw them in Cooper's Mercedes G500. Confirms a Lopez pal: "She likes him."

While it may be too early to nickname them JLooper, Cooper, 36, is certainly making an effort to woo Lopez, 42. The actor, who is filming The Silver Linings Playbook in the Philadelphia area, was in L.A. for less than 48 hours. "She was flattered he flew across the country to spend a few hours with her," the source says of Lopez. (She and Marc Anthony announced their split in July.) And while the source adds they're "casually seeing each other and taking it very slow," this isn't the first time their date has involved a plane trip: Lopez jetted in from New Orleans for 24 hours the weekend of their Per Se date.

Over the past five weeks, the pair kept in touch by phone. At first, the insider says, "Jennifer wasn't sure they had enough in common." Yet Cooper-whose relationship with Renée Zellweger ended last winter-kept pursuing her. "Jennifer is very flattered by his persistence," says the source. "He is growing on her." More important for the mother of 3-year-old twins Max and Emme, "Bradley has been very supportive about the fact that she is a mom," says the source.

Just a few months ago, Lopez was second-guessing her split from Anthony, but she isn't looking back now. "She seems very happy and has snapped out of her post-separation gloom," says the source. "She is all about the future now."